Qualified Occupational Therapist - Adults & Health

Overview

The Adult Occupational Therapy Team is seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Qualified Occupational Therapist to join our forward-thinking and dynamic service.

Despite the challenges that Adult Social Care has faced, our approach in Buckinghamshire has not been to take shelter and wait for the storm to pass. Instead, we have chosen to transform and restructure Adult Social Care so we can respond to a crisis as well as build for the future. We have created more roles in Social Work and Occupational Therapy; we are adapting to work much more closely with the community and support people near to where they live; we have developed a career progression framework to encourage staff ambition and development. In addition, to establish the conditions to deliver outstanding practice, we have reduced the numbers that managers supervise and the caseloads the team have, to allow for more contact with our residents.

You will be entitled to a ‘Golden Hello’ lump-sum payment of £2000 paid on successful completion of your probationary period.

About us

Our Occupational Therapy service has undergone significant transformation to move away from the more traditional models of service delivery, assessment and intervention, to embracing a culture of innovation and positive risk-taking.  We aim to prevent, reduce or delay the need for care, supporting clients to enhance their independence and overall well-being.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. Not only will you be an integral part of the unique and exciting transition through the unitary process, you will also be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

Tom Judge, our Occupational Therapy Team Manager said “The Occupational Therapy team and individuals within are hardworking, enthusiastic, kind caring and supportive. Our day-to-day interactions with Buckinghamshire’s residents are tremendously impactful, enhance the quality of lived experiences and enable people to live independently for as long as possible.”

About the role

To ensure the highest standards of service are provided to the residents of Buckinghamshire, Occupational Therapists will:

• Work in accordance with the Better Lives framework
• Promote and deliver goal-based support people to achieve greater independence
• Promote equality as an integral part of a role and treat everyone with fairness and dignity
• Provides a proactive personalised approach to the delivery of care and practice
• Respond to people’s needs in a timely manner
• Focus on improving people’s well-being
• Give people greater choice and control over the care that they receive
• Take account of people’s risks and safety at all times, identifying mitigations to reduce that risk
• Support people to achieve the outcomes that are most important to them using all available resources and taking responsibility for the public purse
• Provide personalised information and advice, safeguarding, assessment, support planning and review to individuals/families and their carers

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your Council laptop and will be able to access the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

You must have a degree or equivalent qualification in Occupational Therapy and have a Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration. In addition, a full driving licence with access to a vehicle is an essential requirement for this role.

Naturally, you will be a great people person, familiar with working to a strength-based approach where you think outside of the box and enable people to prevent, reduce or delay the need for care. Bringing your in-depth knowledge of the latest legislation and statutory guidance, you’ll work independently and with colleagues to support adults and their families. Persistence and an adaptable approach is needed in an outcome focused way with partners such as health services, community sector, housing, care providers and other stakeholders.

If you are looking to return to occupational therapy please contact [email protected] or [email protected] to find out more information.

If you'd like to hear from our current Occupational Therapy team, visit our Bucks Careers pages Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Please see the attached job summary for full details.

Other information

For more information about this position, please contact Tom Judge, Team Manager at [email protected] or Lauren Evans, Assistant Team Manager at [email protected]

You will be required to apply for a DBS at an enhanced level. Further information about the DSB Scheme can be found at GOV.UK

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Our Occupational Therapy services have undergone a significant transformation in the last few years. As we adapt to working more closely with the community and supporting people near to where they live, we have created more roles in the team to fulfill the demand for Occupational Therapy support. In 2020/21 alone, 6,399 residents were provided with equipment to help them feel safe and confident in their homes and remain as independent as possible.

We have developed a new career progression framework to encourage staff ambition and development, and to establish the conditions to deliver outstanding practice, we have reduced the numbers that managers supervise and the caseloads the team has. This has allowed us to have more contact with our residents.

If you are a great people person, familiar with working to a strength-based approach where you think outside of the box and enable people to prevent, reduce or delay the need for care, Occupational Therapy is one of the most rewarding services in our Adults and Health directorate.

We recognise and reward you

In these challenging times, we must remain connected as a team. From day one, you’ll be offered a ‘buddy’ who will be a friendly face to support you through your induction and new working world. The wellbeing of our colleagues is very important to us and we encourage you to take control of your work-life balance and adopt a flexible approach where possible.

We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. 

Benefits of working for Buckinghamshire:

• Free parking across all of our office sites 
• HCPC fees paid 
• Competitive salary inclusive of Market Factor
• Up to 25 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays) rising to 30 days (plus bank holidays) after more than 5 years’ service
• An attractive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Relocation allowance up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• New Car Lease Scheme
• Development opportunities in key areas of specific lead roles, giving you the opportunity to learn new skills and to develop your practice
• Travel discounts with Arriva 
• Access to our corporate health and wellbeing services offering free confidential advice on a wide range of issues
• Discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops, discounted gym memberships and much more: https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/